-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A new CNN poll confirms that we 're witnessing a quiet reversal in the character of our two major parties .

Traditionally , Republicans have always coalesced around the conventional wisdom front-runner for president . Conservatives respect structure , order and party brand names . Not for nothing was the name Nixon , Bush or Dole on the GOP presidential ticket from 1952 to 2004 .

In contrast , Democrats have favored the presidential candidate with the hot hand , rising from obscurity to the White House -- think Jimmy Carter , Bill Clinton and Barack Obama .

But a fresh-out-of-the-oven CNN presidential poll shows a fractured GOP field of newcomers with no clear front-runner while the Democrats have given an unprecedented lead to a brand name of their own : Hillary Clinton .

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Yes , it is pathetically early to be projecting on the 2016 presidential campaign . Predictive capacity hovers somewhere near zero , and time fixated on polls would be productively used thinking about the 2014 midterms or the fights over the debt ceiling looming over our divided , dysfunctional Congress .

But as a snapshot of the underlying dynamics driving the two parties , this new poll is worth a look .

On the GOP side of the aisle , New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie narrowly leads the fractured field at 17 % , one point above Rep. Paul Ryan , best known as Mitt Romney 's vice presidential running mate . In the old days , the previous vice presidential nominee would be the future favorite . But that does n't seem to be the case for Ryan , who emerged from the 2012 presidential race arguably damaged by his association with the Romney campaign .

Traditionally , the governor of blue state New Jersey would n't be on the GOP radar at all , but Christie -- cruising to a landslide re-election -- seems to be the exception to this and other rules .

Next on the list is Rand Paul , the scion of an outsider libertarian movement sparked by his dad 's multiple runs for president . But the compelling and controversial one-time eye doctor is a first-term senator from Kentucky , far from your typical presidential timber .

Perhaps most interesting is the second tier of GOP candidates . Jeb Bush seems settled in at 10 % , despite brand name and legendary brand loyalty . Two Hispanic senate Republicans , Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz , come in next at 9 % and 7 % respectively . And then , at the bottom of the barrel , come two 2012 aspirants : Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum .

Far from being strengthened by their 2012 campaigns , these two candidates seem weakened by the experience . Rick Perry 's `` oops '' heard round the world still resonates while Santorum 's strident social conservatism does n't seem to be taken seriously by 95 % of the party faithful . Strange days .

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The real news is on the Democratic side . Hillary Clinton has accumulated a towering 55 percentage point lead over her next closest competitor , Vice President Joe Biden , who is at 10 % and does n't exactly lack name recognition .

Below Biden are first-term Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 7 % , New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo at 6 % and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley -- perhaps the most openly ambitious of the bunch -- at 2 % .

Clinton 's dominance illustrates an interesting dynamic . Six years ago , she was a far more polarizing figure among Democrats -LRB- and independents -RRB- . Today , after her service as secretary of state , she seems more qualified and less polarizing , transcending her association with the culture of wars concurrent with Bubba 's two terms in office .

Tough and experienced , Clinton is now positioned as a candidate who rivals Obama 's 2007 surge . She will also be positioned as the candidate of the 51 % , compelling to women of all ages and even possibly competitive among Republican women in this incarnation .

Uncle Joe Biden is well liked by the rank and file , but there does n't seem to be much of a stampede to put him on the top of the ticket . Warren 's strength comes from fascination with the new and represents the growing strength of the liberal base in the party . And while successful governors like Cuomo and O'Malley have earned the right to be taken seriously as presidential candidates , the party faithful do n't seem to be much interested in buying what they are selling at the moment .

If Clinton does not run for some reason , Democrats will quickly wake up to the awkward fact that they have almost no depth of the bench after two Obama terms .

So there you have it : Democrats are behaving like Republicans , falling in line behind the big brand name dominating a race that is still three years away . And Republicans are behaving like Democrats , putting forward a fractured field with no clear front-runners but elevating a New Jersey governor , a Wisconsin congressman and a Kentucky senator to the front of the pack .

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of John Avlon .

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John Avlon : A new CNN poll shows a reversal in the character of two major parties

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Avlon : Traditionally , GOP coalesce around a front-runner ; Democrats root for newcomers

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Now , GOP has an eclectic pool of presidential candidates ; Democrats have Hillary Clinton

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Avlon : If Clinton does not run , Democrats will have almost no strong candidate